SECRETS & SCANDALS OF Fawlty Towe

JUST AS MUCH CALAMITY ENSUED OFF SCREEN AS IT DID ON

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REMAKE BACKLASH

In 2023, creator and star John Cleese - aka Basil Fawlty - announced his intentions to reboot Fawlty Towers. However, the family of his onscreen wife, Prunella Scales, weren't happy about it. Prunella, 93, has retreated from public life in recent years due to her worsening dementia. Her husband, Timothy West, said that any revival wouldn't be the same without his wife. "I think if it had been me, I'd have said, 'You've done it. It was perfect, people loved it. What else are you going to do?'" Timothy said.

Half a century has passed since we first checked in to Basil Fawlty's delightfully dysfunctional seaside hotel - where chaos was on the menu, tempers boiled over like kettles and laughter echoed through every corridor. When Fawlty Towers premiered in September 1975, few could have expected that just 12 episodes would leave such a lasting mark on British comedy. But it has - and as the show's milestone 50th anniversary is celebrated, we delve into its legacy, unpacking the tensions, tears and triumphs that went on behind the scenes...